Everything You Need to Know About the Galaxy S IV's Camera

Samsung's March 14th announcement of their Galaxy S IV has sent the media into a frenzy over all its features, from the hardware upgrades to the somewhat bloated software features. Unless you like to carry a bulky Digital SLR camera around, you'll more than likely use your smartphone to capture the shots of family and friends that will stay with you for a lifetime.

The camera on the Galaxy S IV is an interesting feat though, with its 13 megapixel rear shooter and a 2 megapixel front, it's arguably one of the better smartphone cameras out there that doesn't have a buzz phrase attached to it, and I'll explain why.

First off, don't let that 13 mega pixel sensor fool you. If you don't like to blind people with your flash, then you'll more than likely be opting to not use it if you can help it. Just as it would capture more pixels altogether, it'll also capture more dark pixels if proper lighting isn't available.

Despite that theory, when compared to last year's 8 megapixel shooter in the Galaxy S III you'll only find a single difference: image size. Yes, with a 13 megapixel camera you can zoom in further than a lesser model without compromising image quality, but that's just about it. If you're going to take pictures from further away, then that is actually something that will be useful for cropping and styling the image later on.

Dual mode: This is a function that is unique in such a way that you can use both front and back cameras simultaneously. The purpose serves to not only allow you to take a picture of your friends, or of a nice scenery, but to add to add you into the shot as well. With your photo target being the primary image, your visage will be encompassed with a stylistic frame inside the photo that you can choose at the time of the shot. These frames include a 'fish eye' style, a postage stamp, a heart shape and more. This also allegedly works with video recording.

Sound Shot: Sometimes just a picture isn't enough to add sentiment. This allows you to record a sound to go along with your picture, to either say hello to mom, or to even add in a voice caption of a memorable shot, such as the landscape on a mountain you visited. This actually reminds me of the voice MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) feature that already comes with many phones today, and I'm not sure how much this will be used, but I would probably use it just because it's there.

Story Shot: If you're like me, you're probably unorganized in your photo albums. I usually take care of that part while uploading to my computer anyways, but nonetheless, this feature can come in handy. With Story Shot, instead of having all your pictures organized from the time and date you took them, or even the filename, your pictures will automagically be organized according to what they are, where they're taken, and the theme of each photo.

Eraser Shot: One of the concepts that I really do like about this camera is having the ability to annihilate photobombs (uninvited people or things moving either in front or behind your target while you capture) from your shot. This works by taking up to five consecutive photos to capture the complete fore or background, and when finished, you can tap on whatever you want removed. This is useful for crowded locations, especially in noisy tourist attraction areas.

Drama Shot: Have you ever seen those old albums of photos taken so fast that it looks like it can be animated when flipped through? This is similar, but in a digital sort of way. With zero shutter lag, you can probably pull it off by manually tapping the capture button repeatedly. But that's nigh impossible to accomplish without lightning fast movements, so for those who are not so nimble, then this will do it for you. By holding the button down, you effectively take up to 24 pictures per second, which is actually the same frame rate that movies use while recording. I think it's nice because I know of a lot of situations I've been in where it would have been cool to actually be able to do that, like taking pictures of a football game for example.

If you own a Galaxy S III, then you may be finding these software features coming to your phone. While no word was mentioned on when exactly it will happen, we're hoping that it will show up with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean update that I personally expect to happen later this year. Would these features be enough to entice you to take more photos? How about being even more creative with the photos that you take?

I'm a veteran, professional musician, artist, Android user, and a writer at heart. With a passion to be the best without having to say it, I strive for abstract ideas and fresh business models based on newly released technology, in order to fully utilize what has been made available to us through Android. I am always curious about the latest trends in technology, and currently contribute for Android Headlines.